Don’t mistake Liberals’ silence on Barnaby Joyce for support, writes James Campbell

IF BARNABY Joyce were any other minister in the Turnbull Government, he would be toast by now, writes James Campbell.

IF BARNABY Joyce were any other minister in the Turnbull Government, he would be toast by now.

But he’s the leader of the National Party. And as such, it is apparently beyond the authority of the Prime Minister of Australia to get rid of him.

ANDREW BOLT: JOYCE BETRAYAL ALSO EXPOSES HIS MORAL FIBRE

DEPUTY PM COULD BE REPLACED

For the past week, Liberals in Canberra have bitten their tongues on the Joyce situation. But one shouldn’t mistake their silence for support for the Deputy Prime Minister.

In private they are fuming at the exposure of his self-indulgence, detonating what had been a good start to the year.

The reason for the Liberals’ silence is partly cultural.

MPs from both parties deeply resent it when their coalition partners weigh in to what they regard as their private business, as Tony Abbott discovered when he used the Nats to ram through a joint party position on gay marriage.

For this reason, those Liberals wishing Joyce gone have realised it is counter-productive to make too much noise.

It is apparently beyond the authority of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to get rid of Barnaby Joyce. Picture: Kym Smith

Those Liberals wishing Barnaby Joyce gone have realised it is counter-productive to make too much noise. Picture: Kym Smith

The other reason for the ­silence was that on Tuesday the smoke signals out of Natland fostered a belief that they were mustering the courage to “put the working dog down”, as one Lib urged them to do.

But it didn’t happen. Maybe when he looked them in the eye, Joyce’s colleagues thought of all his faithful years of service — and these sentimental country folk just couldn’t bring themselves to do it. Maybe they decided he could be saved.

Maybe they’re right, but for now the dog limps on and the whole government is stuck with a hell of a vet’s bill while they wait for him to recover.

One thing is absolutely certain: Bill Shorten has yet again shown that he possesses in bucketloads the quality that Napoleon looked for in his generals — luck.

He should be under pressure as he takes the Labor Party ever more Leftward, under siege in one by-election and with others in prospect.

Not only that, but the Turnbull Government has a good story to tell. The economy is picking up with business confidence high and unemployment falling. The pressure really should be on Shorten.

But two weeks into the parliamentary year and the government is already back in the mud. And because the National Party has apparently locked in behind Barnaby Joyce, there is nothing Malcolm Turnbull can do about it.

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